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Art and Soul: Showcasing Three Inspiring Women Artists

The Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) will present a major exhibition of East Bay artist Mildred Howard titled "Mildred Howard: Poetics of Memory" from June 12 through October 18. The show spans over 50 years of Howard's career, featuring sculpture, public art, and immersive installations, including large-scale works made from found objects like skillets, shoes, and glass bottles. Key pieces include "Blackbird in a Red Sky (aka Fall of the Blood House)" and "Ten Little Children Standing in a Line (One Got Shot, and Then There Were Nine)." Howard, a 2025 Guggenheim Fellow, explores themes of memory, home, Black identity, and the African American experience, often using house-like structures to prompt dialogue about belonging and sanctuary.

The Best Exhibitions to See Around San Francisco During FOG Design+Art

January brings a full slate of exhibitions across the Bay Area timed to San Francisco Art Week, headlined by the 12th edition of FOG Design+Art at Fort Mason Center (January 21-25). Galerie highlights nine must-see shows, including "100 Candleholders" at Blunk Space, where international artists create candleholders inspired by JB Blunk; "New Work: Sheila Hicks" at SFMOMA, featuring fiber installations tied to personal places; "The Houses Are Haunted By White Night-Gowns" at The Future Perfect, a furniture-and-bowls installation by Studio Ahead; and "Auudi Dorsey: What’s Left, Never Left" at Jonathan Carver Moore, where the painter excavates histories of African American leisure sites.

What’s on now at San Francisco museums, December 2025

This article provides a comprehensive guide to current and upcoming exhibitions at San Francisco museums in December 2025. Highlights include "Printing Color: Chiaroscuro to Screenprint" closing January 4, "Rave into the Future: Art in Motion" closing January 12 at the Asian Art Museum, and the upcoming San Francisco Art Week from January 17 to 25. The Legion of Honor features "Manet and Morisot" through March 1, offering a deep dive into the artistic dialogue between Édouard Manet and Berthe Morisot, alongside "Drawn to Venice" opening January 24. The de Young Museum presents "Boom and Bust: Photographing Northern California," while the Museum of the African Diaspora showcases "Unbound: Art, Blackness and the Universe" and "Continuum: MoAD Over Time." A tribute to Lawrence Ferlinghetti, including his exhibition at the Legion of Honor, is also featured.

Best art exhibits to see in the Bay Area this fall

The article highlights several notable art exhibitions opening in the Bay Area this fall, including 'Rave into the Future: Art in Motion' at the Asian Art Museum, featuring immersive dance culture works and ceramics by Sahar Khoury and Maryam Youssif; Selva Aparicio's solo show at Gallery Wendi Norris, where she carves rug designs into the floor and uses cicada wings and hair in her installations; Andrew Owen's photography exhibition 'In Light Years' at Small Works, capturing California's landscapes and environmental scars; Caterina Fake's installation 'Bed for Dreaming' at the Jones Institute, an experimental home gallery where guests can sleep in an ancient bed; and the farewell celebration at Altman Siegel Gallery after 16 years of operation.

Closures Can’t Dim the Spark: 9 Unmissable Bay Area Art Shows This October

The article highlights nine must-see art exhibitions in the Bay Area for October, despite recent gallery closures like KADIST and Gallery 16. Key shows include the Museum of the African Diaspora's twin exhibitions 'Continuum' and 'Unbound' for its 20th anniversary, Drew Villanueva's first solo exhibition at Good Mother Studio inside Ikea, Jim Melchert's retrospective at di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art, and Mills College Art Museum's '100 Years of Creative Visions'. The programming is anchored by the second edition of Nexus, a Bay Area art week spotlighting Black voices and bridging regional divides.

10 Art Shows to See in the Bay Area This Fall

The article presents a curated guide to 10 art exhibitions opening in the Bay Area this fall, highlighting shows by artists such as Mike Henderson, Julio César Morales, Auudi Dorsey, and Jim Melchert. It covers venues ranging from Haines Gallery and Gallery Wendi Norris to the Manetti Shrem Museum and di Rosa SF, with works addressing Black Oakland history, immigration, segregation-era Black leisure, and conceptual ceramic art.

10 Art Shows to See This Fall

This article previews ten art exhibitions opening in the San Francisco Bay Area during fall 2025. Highlights include "Object Oriented" at BAMPFA, focusing on artists' interpretations of everyday objects; "Super Flex: Powered by Alter Egos and Shadow Selves," a festival in Chinatown curated by Candace Huey, Taraneh Hemami, and Theo Lau; solo shows by Laura Figa and Fran Herndon at Et al.; Julio César Morales's "My America" at Gallery Wendi Norris, featuring a sound installation with Mexican Institute of Sound; and "Art of Manga" at the de Young Museum, showcasing original drawings by 11 manga artists including Taniguchi Jiro and Takahashi Rumiko.

San Francisco Art Fair brings attention to Bay Area scene and sales for exhibitors from near and far

The San Francisco Art Fair opened on April 17 at the Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture, running through April 20. Rebranded from ArtMrkt San Francisco last year, the fair featured 88 exhibitors, including a strong contingent from the East Bay, such as Oakland-based galleries pt.2, Johansson Projects, and Good Mother Gallery. Notable moments included artist Marc Horowitz using DeBoer Gallery's stand as a live studio, selling paintings for $25,000 and up, and the Alternative Art School showcasing works by four artist-members. Dealers reported healthy sales, with works priced from a few hundred dollars to the lower five figures, and local galleries like Micki Meng donated proceeds to the environmental non-profit Art into Acres.

Remembering Georg Baselitz, Nicole Hollander, and Doris Fisher

Hyperallergic's weekly 'In Memoriam' column honors seven figures from the art world who recently passed away, including German Neo-Expressionist painter Georg Baselitz, feminist cartoonist Nicole Hollander, and arts patron Doris F. Fisher, co-founder of The Gap. Other notable figures remembered are photographer Stephanie Chernikowski, West Coast assemblage artist George Herms, Spanish artist and designer José María Cruz Novillo, and Bay Area muralist Dan Fontes. The article provides brief biographies and highlights of their contributions to visual art, photography, comics, and public art.

bampfa quilts routed west

The Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA) has launched "Routed West: Twentieth-Century African American Quilts in California," the first major thematic exploration of the 3,000-piece Eli Leon bequest. Curated by Elaine Yau, the exhibition features over 100 quilts by approximately 80 artists, tracing the migration of improvisational textile traditions from the American South to the Bay Area. The show highlights how these portable objects served as both functional necessities and vital forms of self-expression for Black women during the mid-20th century Great Migration.

Your guide to the best events of SF Art Week

SF Art Week returns with a packed schedule of events across San Francisco, including the Recology Artist in Residence exhibition featuring work made from materials sourced at the city's recycling center, a mural painting and unveiling by eL Seed in collaboration with incarcerated artists at San Quentin, and the launch of ICA SF's nomadic model with exhibitions by Tara Donovan and Lily Kwong at the Transamerica Pyramid Center. Other highlights include gallery openings at Paul Thiebaud Gallery, frame-making demonstrations at Aedicule, a new art fair at the Fairmont Hotel, and a curator-led tour at SHACK15, alongside workshops, a rave-themed reception at the Asian Art Museum, and a conversation between artist Lava Thomas and curator Key Jo Lee at MoAD.

mildred howard retrospective oakland museum of california

The Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) will host a major retrospective for Bay Area artist Mildred Howard, titled “Poetics of Memory,” opening in June 2025. The exhibition spans five decades of Howard’s work, including new pieces, and will be accompanied by a fully illustrated catalog with plans for a national tour. Howard, a 2025 Guggenheim Fellow, has a long history with OMCA, which owns her 1989 installation *TAP: Investigation of Memory*. Senior curator Carin Adams, who worked with Howard on reinstalling *TAP* in 2019, proposed the retrospective to honor Howard’s legacy in the Bay Area arts scene.

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Appoints Essence Harden as Senior Curator

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA) in San Francisco has appointed Essence Harden as senior curator, effective May 18. Harden currently serves as curator of Expo Chicago and has organized the Focus section of Frieze Los Angeles since 2024, roles they will continue with YBCA's support. An independent curator, Harden recently co-curated the 2025 Made in L.A. biennial at the Hammer Museum and previously held positions at the California African American Museum, Orange County Museum of Art, Art + Practice, Museum of the African Diaspora, and Oakland Museum of California. A Bay Area native, Harden's hiring marks a homecoming.

di rosa center selling napa campus

Northern California's di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art has listed its 217-acre Napa campus for sale at $10.9 million after years of financial struggles. The museum, which houses a renowned collection of Postwar Northern California art, plans to use the proceeds to stabilize its finances and ensure the long-term care of its collection. Executive director Kate Eilertsen, who took over in 2020, has introduced alternative revenue streams like event rentals and a summer camp, and opened outposts in downtown Napa and San Francisco. The museum will remain open during the sale, and talks are underway with the Napa Land Trust and Open Space District to sell only part of the property for a public hiking trail, while keeping the sculpture park intact.

10 Art Shows to See in the Bay Area This Spring

The San Francisco Bay Area's spring art season features a robust lineup of exhibitions highlighting local artists, history, and community resilience amid a challenging cultural climate. Shows include Cece Carpio's first solo exhibition at SOMArts blending street art and folklore, a major Theresa Hak Kyung Cha retrospective at BAMPFA, and Trina Michelle Robinson's two-venue exploration of Black migration at 500 Capp Street and Root Division.

Sculptor Sahar Khoury, Collection Exhibition at the Manetti Shrem Museum Offer New Views of California Art

Two exhibitions opening in January at the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art at UC Davis explore themes of cultural origins, legacy, and preservation in California art. "Sahar Khoury: Weights & Measures" (Jan. 7–June 20) is the Bay Area sculptor's largest solo show to date, featuring works in ceramics, metal, papier-mâché, and found objects that interrogate value systems, personal and political symbols, and site sensitivity. The emotional centerpiece, "The Elephant in the Room," evokes ruins and marketplaces of North Africa and Southwest Asia. Concurrently, "Backstory: Digitizing the Museum Collection" (Jan. 21–May 2) turns the museum into a working digitization lab, displaying signature works from UC Davis’ Fine Art Collection while revealing the process of preserving art for posterity.

Art Spaces In and Around Guangzhou

This article surveys four notable art spaces in and around Guangzhou, China. It profiles the He Art Museum in Foshan, a private nonprofit founded by He Jianfeng and designed by Tadao Ando, which houses the He family collection spanning Lingnan School ink painting to international modernists. It also covers the Bai’etan Greater Bay Area Art Center, a government-funded complex opened in April 2024 that includes branches of the Guangdong Museum of Art, the Guangdong Intangible Cultural Heritage Museum, and the Guangdong Literature Museum. Additionally, it highlights Vitamin Creative Space, a dual independent art space and commercial gallery founded by Zhang Wei and Hu Fang, and the ChunYangTai Arts and Cultural Centre, part of the Langtou Experiment village revitalization project.

san francisco art institute casa arts center

The historic San Francisco Art Institute campus, which shuttered in 2023 following bankruptcy, is being revitalized as the California Academy of Studio Arts (CASA). Founded by billionaire philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs, the new center will offer a free, unaccredited, year-long studio program for up to 30 emerging visual artists. The initiative aims to foster an experimental environment inspired by Black Mountain College, providing mentorship, workshops, and public engagement platforms.

california college of the arts closure

California College of the Arts (CCA), the Bay Area's last private art and design school, will close after the 2026–27 academic year, ending 116 years of operation. Vanderbilt University will acquire CCA's San Francisco campus and open a West Coast outpost in 2027, continuing some art and design programs. The closure follows years of financial struggles, including a $20 million deficit, declining enrollment from 1,800 to 1,295 students, and emergency fundraising that raised nearly $45 million—including a $22.5 million matching gift from the Jen-Hsun and Lori Huang Foundation and a $20 million state grant—but proved insufficient to ensure long-term independence.

closed sfai campus casa artist residency center

The former San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI) campus has been transformed into a privately funded nonprofit arts center called the California Academy of Studio Arts (CASA). Backed by philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs, who purchased the Chester Street campus for $30 million last year, CASA will host 30 emerging artists annually in an unaccredited studio program. Artists will have access to private studios, shared workspaces, and professional mentors, with no tuition fees. The center is led by director Abbye Churchill and plans seminars for participants. SFAI, one of the oldest art schools in the U.S., suspended operations in 2022 and filed for bankruptcy after a failed merger with the University of San Francisco.

Michael Joo Steps Into the Art World’s Spotlight

Michael Joo, a contemporary artist known for his multidisciplinary work, is currently featured in multiple exhibitions spanning New York, the San Francisco Bay Area, a Mediterranean island, and Venice. These shows highlight his ongoing engagement with themes of identity, ecology, and cultural exchange, bringing his practice to a broader international audience.

jonathan carver moore profile fog art fair

Jonathan Carver Moore, founder of an eponymous gallery in San Francisco, is presenting a solo booth of new paintings by Cameroonian-born artist Sesse Elangwe at the FOG Design + Art Fair. The works, developed during a residency with the gallery, depict local Bay Area subjects against recognizable backdrops. Moore, who opened his gallery in 2023 after a career in nonprofit communications and criminal justice reform, emphasizes creating an inclusive, conversational atmosphere for art viewing and collecting.

What’s on now at San Francisco museums, May 2026

San Francisco museums are navigating a mix of upcoming exhibitions and financial challenges in May 2026. SFMOMA is closing "KAWS: Family" on May 3 and opening "Matisse’s Femme au chapeau: A Modern Scandal" from May 16 to September 13. The Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts has suspended operations due to funding issues, and SOMArts is also facing a budget gap. Meanwhile, the Museum of Craft and Design presents "Video Craft" through August 16, and the Letterform Archive hosts "Black Memory Scholar: The Language of Storytellers" and "Piet Zwart: Brand Architect." SFMOMA has announced three SECA award winners—CrossLypka, Em Kettner, and Chanell Stone—who will exhibit from December 2026 to May 2027, and the museum continues to showcase "Reimagined: The Fisher Collection at 10" and new installations by Alexander Calder, Claes Oldenburg + Coosje van Bruggen, and Rose B Simpson.

May 2026 Free Museum Days In San Francisco, From SFMOMA To The Legion Of Honor

A guide published in April 2026 lists free admission days at San Francisco museums and gardens for May 2026. Participating institutions include the Asian Art Museum, Legion of Honor, de Young Museum, SFMOMA, Conservatory of Flowers, San Francisco Zoo, GLBT Historical Society Museum, Museum of Craft and Design, Museum of the African Diaspora, SF Botanical Garden, and Japanese Tea Garden. Many venues also offer recurring free days for Bay Area residents, EBT cardholders, and library card holders through programs like Museums for All and Discover and Go.

Chiharu Shiota’s ‘Two Home Countries’ at the Asian Art Museum marks her first solo exhibition in the Bay Area

The Asian Art Museum in San Francisco has opened 'Chiharu Shiota: Two Home Countries,' the first solo exhibition in the Bay Area for the Japanese-born, Berlin-based artist. The show features her signature immersive installations of red thread, weaving together personal objects and exploring themes of memory, displacement, and identity.

Midea Group scion’s Shunde art museum shifts focus to amplify local voices

The He Art Museum (HEM) in Shunde, China, a private institution founded by the family behind appliance giant Midea Group, is shifting its programming strategy. Under director Shao Shu, the museum is moving away from hosting major international exhibitions to focus on amplifying local and regional artists, particularly from the Greater Bay Area, and exploring themes of Lingnan culture.

Inside the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco’s 2026 Gala

The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF) held its 2026 gala, a major fundraising event attended by prominent figures from the city's art, philanthropy, and social circles. The event featured notable attendees including artist Andy Goldsworthy, museum director Thomas Campbell, and major donors like Dede Wilsey and Mayor Daniel Lurie.

This week in the Greater Bay Area: Where to see Monet paintings, a robotics exhibition and more

The Greater Bay Area is hosting a diverse range of cultural events this week, highlighted by the exhibition "Blooming: The Art of Gardens in East and West" at the Hong Kong Museum of Art. This show features rare works by Claude Monet, including his iconic Water Lilies, alongside traditional Chinese garden-themed art. Other notable visual arts events include the "Fragrance of Youth" exhibition at the Guangdong Museum of Art, showcasing contemporary Lingnan female artists, and the Tap Siac Craft Market in Macao, which features over 200 artisanal stalls.

What’s on now at San Francisco museums, April 2026

San Francisco’s museum landscape is undergoing a significant shift this April, anchored by the major reinstallation "Reimagined: The Fisher Collection at 10" at SFMOMA. The exhibition marks a decade of the museum's partnership with the Doris and Donald Fisher Collection, featuring works by Alexander Calder, Sol LeWitt, and Roy Lichtenstein across multiple floors. While the city celebrates these high-profile openings and the announcement of SECA Art Award finalists, the local scene faces challenges as the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts has suspended operations due to institutional difficulties.

Landscape ReEnvisioned Exhibition At the Monterey Museum of Art

The Monterey Museum of Art is hosting "Landscape ReEnvisioned," a group exhibition featuring six contemporary photographers who move beyond traditional West Coast landscape traditions. Curated by Helaine Glick, the show presents works by Debra Achen, Tony Bellaver, Adrienne Defendi, Charlotte Schmid-Maybach, Brian Taylor, and Vincent James Waring. These artists utilize diverse mediums—including cyanotypes, gum bichromate prints, tapestries, and sculptures—to address the urgent realities of climate change, wildfires, and environmental degradation.